Memory Watching
by Simply Bookworm
Summary: Everything at the mountain was fine, but then the Team ends up in a room with no way out! Who is the strange person who brought them here, and more importantly, why? Look no further than the title, folks. We're watching Robin's memories.
1. Chapter 1

It was a relatively quiet day in the Mountain. Considering that their normal volume was Wally and Artemis in a screaming match, M'gann making burnt baked goods, Conner watching static, Aqualad either in the saltwater pool or reading an Atlantean book, and Robin either with Batman or going over something on his hologlove, this was pretty calm. Wally and Artemis were one or two volume notches below what they usually were, and everyone else was playing Go Fish.

"Aqualad, do you have any threes?" M'gann asked with a questioning look towards their Atlantean friend.

"Go Fish, Megan."

"Conner, got any sevens?" Robin queried.

Conner wordlessly handed over two number seven cards.

"Do you have any sixes, Robin?" Kaldur said, looking at the lithe bird in question.

Robin shook his head 'no' and gestured to the ever smaller growing pile. Kaldur took a card from the top and a bright white light enveloped each of the Mountain's occupants. With another flash, the young heroes stood in the middle of a blank room, the walls a sort of tan-ish color. Robin was the first to speak.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking around the room, which now had a note resting in the middle of the floor. He walked towards it, and bent down, picking it up. His eyes scanned the small peice of paper, and he let out a small gasp. The little bird's fingers now had a death grip on the note, Kaldur was the only one brave enough to retrieve it. He gently took the paper from the youngest's hand, and read it aloud.

"'You all must be wondering why you're here. Well, who am I to keep the truth from you? I am kinda sadistic and want to see the little bird there suffer. Don't worry, he nor any of you will remember the trauma, as I will wipe your memories of this incident before you leave. Do not try to remember it when you are back home, as it will cause you immense pain. Anyway, back on track, today we will be watching Robin's past, present(ish), and future! Including how he lost his parents! And don't forget about the nice little torture scenes! Don't fret, there are only one or two of those, kiddies. Now let us begin!'" As Kaldur read the last line, furniture dotted the room.

A screen showed up beside them that took up almost the whole wall, Artemis and Wally had to move out of the way of a light brown, plushy couch, an armchair stood across from another armchair the same color as the couch, and a maroon love seat appeared between the couch and the left armchair. A mahogany coffee table showed up in the middle of the room loaded with soda, popcorn, and coffee for when they got to the boring but informative memories. It could've just been because Robin had barely gotten any sleep in the last week, though.

Wally shrugged and sat down on the end of the couch, Robin and Kaldur beside him. Artemis took an armchair, and Conner and M'gann sat in the love seat. The screen flickered to life. A girl with a squarish-kinda-heart-shaped face and icy blue eyes was shown. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back in a fluffy pony tail. It was clear she had an acne problem, and she had a slightly crazed look in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was either high pitched and clearly sarcastic, or a rich, sort of deep sound.

"Well, my kiddies, today, as you have probably found out, we will be watching our dear pasarica's past. Some parts will be gruesome and not fit for children, even the ones that are part of the memories. Seriously, a child should not have to go though what you did." She said the last part while looking at Robin, which unsettled the whole team a bit. "If you guys are comfortable, we can get started." She looked at the heroes, who nodded, "Good, ONWARD!"

The screen went black before seeming to filter through lots of images at once, before it stopped on a picture of a circus tent, with the clearest part being a blue poster with figures on it that said 'The Flying Graysons!'.

"No," Robin whispered, horror struck.

 **Okay, so, I decided to stop here for this chapter, cause I really wanted to get it published so my few viewers could enjoy it! So... Imma go write the next chapter, bye! If you liked this, please check out my other stories!**


	2. Chapter 2

_The screen went black before seeming to filter through lots of images at once, before it stopped on a picture of a circus tent, with the clearest part being a blue poster with figures on it that said 'The Flying Graysons!'._

 _"No," Robin whispered, horror struck._

No one paid Robin any mind, too entranced with the memory being shown to them. The screen zoomed and moved until they were looking at the outside of a trailer. A little black haired boy was cartwheeling and flipping around what seemed to be his parents. The trailer door opened and they could hear shouts.

A large man with graying hair threw out a slender, scarred man with a toothpick in between his teeth. One of the man's eyes was brown, the other blue.

"We don't need any protection! Now get out of my circus!" The old man yelled. The mother hid her child behind her and the father moved in front of them.

The scarred man chuckled lowly and said, looking straight at the small family, "You'll wish you paid, Haly. Maybe you'll see the light someday, but for now... _au revoir_." He walked away, stumbling slightly.

"Who was that, Pop?" the little boy asked, coming out from behind his parents.

"No one, no one," Pop said, waving his hand dismissively.

"We need to go get ready for the show," the black haired man said, putting a guiding hand on the boy's back, turning him to the tent, where they could clearly see a trapeze line set up in the middle.

The screen faded again, leaving the shocked faces of Robin's team.

Artemis turned to the resident Boy Wonder, "You are Dick Grayson?"

Robin turned to her, "I honestly didn't think you'd figure it out this fast." He chuckled, "Guess I underestimate a lot of things."

"What do you mean by that, my friend?" Kaldur asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"What he means is that he underestimated that _man_ when he was _eight._ Dude, nobody blames you for not noticing." Wally interrupted whatever Robin, sorry, _Dick,_ was going to say.

"But I _did_ notice, Walls! I noticed! And I didn't warn them! Like you'll probably see in this next memory," he said, gesturing to the screen, which was flickering again.

Like last time, the memory started with the image of a circus tent, only, they saw a man kneeling over the rigging of the trapeze, pouring a green liquid on them. The boy from before, who they had learned was Dick, stood at the entrance of the tent, a suspecting look on his face. He turned away when his mother called his name.

"Veniti, mama!" he called, running towards another trailer.

The image faded and then the circus tent was back again. The small family was up on the platform, waving to a screaming crowd. The older man was standing in the center ring, holding a microphone.

"Thank you for coming out tonight, fair city of Gotham! Our night is coming to an end, and we saved the best for last! Let's give a hand for The Flying Graysons!" He waved a hand towards the platform, and the spotlight switched from Pop Haly to the family on the board.

Dick's father waved, and as the music started, he jumped out to the first trapeze bar. He swung forth and back, forth and back, then vaulted himself off the bar and flipped twice, grabbing the next. He brought his knees up and over the bar, then swung back to catch Dick's mom, who jumped next. They swung so that Mary, they would later learn that was Dick's mother's name, could do another flip. Before they could do anything though, a snap was heard, impossibly loud in the ears of the small boy on the platform. He looked at the wire, which was snapping under the combined weight of his parents. He looked back at the faces smiling at him, and screamed.

"Mami, Tati, NU!" He reached out to them, fruitlessly, as his fingers never reached within three inches of his mother's, and his parents were now falling. There was an echoing 'CRACK' that resounded through the silent tent. The first one to move was the heartbroken little boy. He scampered down the ladder, and ran towards his parent's broken bodies, pools of blood beneath them. He reached them, and grabbed his parent's corpses, screaming and pleading again. That seemed to be the opening of the floodgates, as the people in the audience started screaming and running for the exits.

After a few minutes, everyone had left the tent but for one man in the audience and the remaining performers. The sobs of the boy had quieted, and the man came forward, laying his suit jacket over his shoulders. The boy didn't look up, almost caught in a trance. A police officer came and took the hand of the boy, saying something the team couldn't hear. Dick was dragged away, out of the tent.

A very skinny, almost sickly looking lady with a tight bun could be seen talking to the officer. In the end, the woman, a social worker, grabbed the other hand of the distraught boy and tugged. Dick stumbled, but the lady dragged him to a car, practically throwing him in the backseat. She herself got in the car, and drove away, towards a building with a sign that said 'Gotham Juvenile Detention Center'.

The screen faded, leaving the horror struck faces of the team.

 **So... even though I have realized and accepted that I have no followers, if you are reading this story, please, please, _please_ , check out my other stories. I swear you will probably not be disappointed. Also, comments, comments, comments. I LIVE off of comments, and right now I am dying. Because I have no feedback. Because I am not popular. YET. See you later, mates!**


	3. Chapter 3

_She herself got in the car, and drove away, towards a building with a sign that said 'Gotham Juvenile Detention Center'._

 _The screen faded, leaving the horror struck faces of the team._

Artemis broke the silence that had descended like a cloud onto the surprised teens. "Robin..." she turned to the teen in question.

"Stop," Robin said quietly, "I don't want your pity, I got enough of it to last me a lifetime after my parents died." He looked at each teen in turn. "I guess these have been pretty pointless for a while," the glasses were whipped off of his face and tucked into a pocket.

Wally scooted close to his best friend. "I think you might need comfort, though, dude. From what you've told me, these next few memories are harsh." Wally's arm was no around Dick's small frame, enclosing him in warmth.

The screen swirled with brown, gray, and lots of black, then morphed into a shape that Dick recognized. It was a room, but it looked more like a cell. The white tile floors were so dirty that it looked like there was no tile, only dirt. The walls were the same way. There were bunk beds pushed against one wall, and the other wall had a shower and toilet partitioned off by a raggedy blanket. The beds had thin mattresses, moth-eaten pillows and blankets, and were hanging off the wall by chains. There was a dried puddle of blood in one corner.

There was a creaking, and then a taunting voice. "Hey, gypsy boy!"

It was then the team noticed the small boy from earlier, huddled in the corner where the blood was, looking even smaller in the baggy clothes. If they looked closely, they could see every rib defined from starvation. When he looked to the much larger boy who was taunting him, his face was yellowish and gaunt, his eyes sunken in and holding a defeated look. It was saddening. Wally's arm tightened around Dick.

"What? Gypsy lost his voice?" the boy tainted. His hair was sandy, and his face marred by scars. His brown eyes gleamed with malice. He advanced, and Dick tried to make himself smaller. "Speak, dammit!" He kicked out, and hit Dick in the ribs. He kicked again, and there was an audible crack. Dick let out a cry of pain, and the boy smirked. He punched this time, going for the face. Blood spurted out of Dick's nose, and the Dick that was watching all of this was flinching with every blow.

Once the beating was over, Dick was panting with pain, and had bruises and blood all over him.

"Sleep tight, gypsy," the boy spat as he turned and climbed into the top bunk.

The image shifted to an office type room, with a desk and a chair behind it, with two wooden chairs in front. A man they recognized as Bruce Wayne sat in one chair, Dick in the other. The fat man from the earlier memory was sitting in the chair behind the desk, some papers and a manila folder in front of him.

"Are you sure, Mr. Wayne? This boy is very quiet," the fat man asked.

Bruce nodded, set in his decision. "Yes, I am very sure."

The fat man handed over the papers, and pointed to certain places. "Sign here, here, and here, and he's all yours."

Bruce took a pen from a cup on the desk and signed the papers stating that he would adopt Richard John Grayson, and he would become Richard John Grayson-Wayne. He handed the fat man the signed papers, and he placed them in a filing cabinet.

"You are free to go, Richard," the fat man said grudgingly.

Dick just nodded and followed Bruce when he stood up to go home. Once they were out of the nightmarish building, Bruce tried to start up a conversation. "So, um... are you excited?" he asked awkwardly, he was new to this whole parent thing.

Dick just nodded and stared ahead, in awe of the car they were approaching.

When Bruce got into said car, Dick followed, even more in awe. When they arrived at the mansion, however, Dick finally broke out of his mood. A cheek splitting grin appeared on his face, and he looked to Bruce before running and cartwheeling up the rest of the way to the big house. He knocked on the door, and an elderly man answered.

"Ah, you must be Master Richard. Master Bruce has told me so much about you. My name is Alfred, and I hope you will be most comfortable here." He moved to the side so that Dick could cautiously enter the house. He looked around and explored, finding new and exciting hiding places wherever he went. He learned to avoid the creaky floorboards that he could remember after a few hours, and then Alfred was calling him for dinner.

The picture faded out, and left the team in silence once more.

 **Hey, guys! I had a hard time deciding which would be my next memory to cover. If you have any ideas, let me know by commenting! Thank you so much for reading, and don't worry, be happy! Also, shout out to** stikenotes **for the encouragement and help! Also, thank you to the other viewers who reviewed and took the time to read this story.**


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